Karnataka: Siddaramaiah writes to PM Modi, asks for revocation of Land Reforms Ordinance

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, urging him to direct Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to revoke the act. "This amendment, which has a very high impact, needs to be debated in the assembly before being implemented. I strongly urge you in the interest of millions of farmers, to direct Chief Minister of Karnataka to withhold the ordinance," he said in the letter.

"Attempt to dilute farmers' rights is taking place in Karnataka since Karnataka state government cabinet had promulgated the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, to amend the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, removing restrictions on non-agriculturists purchasing agriculture lands and doubling the ceiling on land holdings," Siddaramaiah wrote in the letter.

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'Move to benefit land mafia': Siddaramaiah

The Karnataka Government's latest ordinance pertaining to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act allows everyone including non-agriculturalists to acquire agricultural landholdings. The Congress leader alleged that CM Yediyurappa's move to remove restrictions on purchasing agricultural land was “in tune with the interests of Bengaluru land mafia", adding that this move would make more land available to the Bengaluru land mafia to further their attempts to pocket profits through real estate.

 "The government has come up with corruption in bureaucracy and investments to the agriculture sector as the reasons for the amendment. This exposes the incapability of government to contain corrupt practice and instead weaken the farming community," Siddaramaiah wrote. 

He also alleged that the Cabinet's decision to withdraw important sections of the Act like 79-A, 79-B, 79-C, and Section 80 would cause a 'multi-pronged effect' on the state of Karnataka and its political economy. "Historical efforts to make the tiller as the owner of the land will be undone and pave the era of the rich owning the land," Siddaramaiah stated that the decades-old land reforms like the ones brought in 1961 and 1974 to help the marginalised communities such as the Dalits, and other backward class people to become owners of land would be undone once again. 

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(With Agency Inputs)